


candles and cupcakes

by janfives90



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bakery AU, Consent is Sexy, F/F, and all of the physical changes that normally apply, candlemaker au, no butchers around though sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-06-29 23:35:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15739590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janfives90/pseuds/janfives90
Summary: When a bakery opens next door to Waverly Earp's candle shop, she's not sure what to make of the strange feelings she gets the moment she meets its owner. Luckily for her, Nicole Haught knows them as well as she knows how to temper chocolate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on Twitter @janfives90

Waverly Earp lingers around the baggage claim, her foot tapping against the floor and her arms crossed. Her phone, pressed awkwardly in her grip, buzzes, and she spares a glance at it as yet another bag that isn’t hers passes her by.

**CHRISSY: Outside. Got your back?**

**CHRISSY: *bag**

She sighs and types with one hand.

**W: No. Not yet.**

**CHRISSY: Let me know so I can tell you where I'm parked**

**W: Will do.**

 

* * *

 

“Oh, my _God_ ,” Waverly groans, tossing her suitcase into the trunk of Chrissy Nedley’s car. “I didn’t think I’d ever get out of there.”

“Did they just not unload your plane?” Chrissy asks, leaning against the driver’s door as they sit in the pickup lot of the parking lot.

She gets in the car as Waverly slams the trunk shut and slides into the passenger seat. “I don’t know what their problem was. I’m just ready to go home.”

“I hope the trip was nice at least?”

“It definitely was. Greece was amazing. I think Wynonna’s planning on coming home pretty soon.” Waverly leans back in her seat, putting on sunglasses and resting her head back against the headrest. “Won’t be quiet around here then.”

Chrissy pulls out onto the highway, heading out of the city and towards Purgatory. “Yeah… about that. It’s already not quiet.”

“Hm?”

“Lucado finally sold the building next to us. Somebody’s been renovating it.”

Waverly pulls her sunglasses back off and turns in her seat, hazel eyes burning into the side of Chrissy’s head as she drives. _“What.”_

Chrissy lets out a soft laugh, and Waverly feels the gentle calm of a beta’s aura fill the car.

“Don’t _soothe_ me, Nedley,” Waverly grumbles. “Who the hell is moving in?”

“Bakery, from what I can tell. I haven’t met the owner yet.”

“I thought we were going to get to approve the new owner?”

Chrissy laughs. “You actually thought Lucado was going to give a shit?”

“…Maybe.”

“Don’t kid yourself.” Chrissy shrugs. “Hey, maybe they’ll be nice. Maybe we’ll get free dessert.”

“Dessert would be nice,” Waverly mutters begrudgingly.

“That’s what I thought.”

 

* * *

 

The car pulls to a stop on the street in front of Homestead Candles. “You sure you don’t want to go home and sleep before jumping straight into work, Waves?”

“I’m sure. We’re going to get busier once it gets closer to fall, and I want to make sure everything is in order.”

“Don’t trust me?” Chrissy laughs as she heads towards the building.

“I trust you, but we’re still going to be in deep water if we don’t get going.”

Chrissy unlocks the front door of the shop and steps inside, the quiet jingle of the bell attached to the doorframe echoing as Waverly follows.

Homestead Candles feels like peace. Most of the candles are sealed, but the shop still smells like lavender and peppermint. Waverly brushes her hand against the cool wood of one of the display tables. “It’s nice to be home.”

 

* * *

 

Waverly grits her teeth as she hovers her saw above the strips of balsa wood laid out in front of her.

There’s rock music thundering from the bakery next door. Loud. Incessant. _Unbearable_.

She cuts her way through a few sets of strips before giving up and standing, brushing the thin sawdust off of her hands with a towel. “Can’t take it,” she mumbles. “Can’t take it.”

 

* * *

 

The building doesn’t have an official sign yet, just a paper with _Haught Stuff Bakery_ taped to the door. Waverly knocks loudly, gets no response, and tests the handle. When she finds it unlocked, she steps inside and calls, “Hello? Is anybody here?”

There’s a radio sitting in the middle of a drop cloth, blasting music as a woman wearing a backwards Calgary Flames baseball cap runs a paint roller up the opposite wall.

“Excuse me!” Waverly yells.

The woman turns and blinks. “Oh.” She sets the roller down in a tray of pale blue paint before walking over and switching the radio off. “I’m sorry. We’re not open yet.”

“I’m aware,” Waverly says. “But your music is a little loud, don’t you think?”

“Shit, you can hear that? My apologies. The lady who sold me this place made a big fuss over the walls being soundproof, or whatever.”

“Lucado? Yeah. She’s big on making things sound better than they really are. I’d know; I co-own the place next door.”

The woman perks up at this and walks forward, holding out her hand. “The candle shop? It’s a nice place; I’ve stopped in a few times. I’m Nicole. Nicole Haught.”

“Ah, the titular Haught Stuff, huh?”

Nicole grins as she shakes Waverly’s hand, and an icy prickle runs up Waverly’s spine, her jaw slipping open.

Chocolate. Chocolate and flour and _power_ and oh _God_ , Nicole Haught is an alpha.

“You can call me Haught Stuff if you’d like, ma’am, but Nicole’s a lot simpler.”

“W-Waverly,” she stammers. “My name’s Waverly Earp.”

Nicole nods, her tongue briefly brushing along her lower lip. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, though I wish I’d made a better first impression. Maybe I could make it up to you? I make some damn good baked goods, and you look like a cupcake kinda girl.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m vegan.”

“I can work with that. You have any nut allergies?”

“No.”

Nicole winks at her. “I have a chocolate hazelnut frosting and dark chocolate cupcake combo that’s vegan. It’s without a doubt the best dessert you’ll ever eat.”

Waverly finds herself unable to stop the small smirk that comes to her lips. “That so?”

“Mhm.”

“Keep your rock music to yourself and maybe I’ll try it sometime, Haught.”

“Haughtstuff.”

“What?”

Nicole grins and turns to pick her paint roller back up. “If you’re going to be difficult, you’re going to have to call me Haughtstuff, Ms. Earp.”

Waverly scoffs. “You’d have better luck of getting me to help you paint this place.”

Nicole holds out the roller, eyebrow quirked upward.

Waverly flushes a bit but keeps her tone even. “No.” She walks back out of the shop, the icy prickle back in her spine.

As she spins the roller between her hands, Nicole watches the door shut before brushing her tongue over her teeth.

“Pine and lavender, faint,” she murmurs. “Interesting.”

 

* * *

 

Waverly leans over the table, pouring the dark red soy wax into the glass jar. She carefully pushes the thin balsa wood wick into the center of the hot liquid, then slots it into her wick holder and carefully carries the jar over to the drying rack.

The door to the back room opens slowly before Chrissy steps inside. “Hey. The church wants to order some of those scentless candles. I don’t have any up front; can we make some more before next Sunday?”

“Uh, yeah, depending on how many they need. I just finished refilling our stocks of cherry and lemon, I have to do a bunch of pine, maple, and pumpkin so that we’re ready for fall, but I should be able to fit the scentless in before I get to work on that.”

“Awesome.” Chrissy leans against the door. “Hey, while we wait for those to dry, do you have any interest in going to the bakery? It’s the grand opening.”

“It is? They were still painting like two days ago.”

Chrissy shrugs. “I guess they get prepared quick.”

“Guess so.” Waverly stands, counting the candles on the rack quickly. “Yeah. Sure, I suppose we can go.”

“It’d probably be rude if we used the mutual door, huh?” Chrissy jokes.

“The… the what?”

“Remember? Our shops both access that back hallway that goes into that storage space upstairs.”

“Right… right. Of course.”

As they wash their hands, flip the front door sign to ‘CLOSED’, and head over, Chrissy says, “You’re acting weird.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. Your scent is all over the place. Are you…” Chrissy pauses, squinting at her. “You smell _nervous_. What’s going on with you?”

 _“Nothing, Chrissy.”_ Waverly pushes open the door to the bakery and almost walks right into Nicole Haught.

“Oh. Hello.” Nicole smiles at her. “Come for one of those cupcakes?”

Waverly looks up and down, at the white sneakers, black pants, royal blue chef’s jacket, and backwards black ballcap Nicole is wearing. “Uh-Uhm. Yes. Sure.”

Chrissy clears her throat behind her.

Waverly steps to the side to let Chrissy enter the bakery. “Sorry. Nicole, this is Chrissy, the other owner of the candle shop.”

“I’ve seen you around,” Chrissy says as she shakes Nicole’s hand. “Nice to finally meet you.” She glances at Waverly. “When did you two meet?”

“I was being rather rude with my music volume, and your friend here came by to set me straight.”

They step out of the way as a woman leaves with her purchases, and Nicole leads them over to the counter. “What can I get for you, Chrissy? I already know what Waverly’s getting.”

“Oo, that peach tart looks amazing.”

“Coming right up.” Nicole slides the tart out of the case, wraps it carefully in a small container, and hands it to her. Then she takes out a vegan double-chocolate hazelnut cupcake, sets it on a plate, and slides it over to Waverly. “Both of those are on the house.”

“No need for that,” Chrissy protests.

“Consider it a welcome gift.”

Waverly laughs awkwardly. “Guess we’ll have to bring you a candle.”

Nicole shrugs. “I’d like that.”

She can feel Chrissy’s curiosity, and Nicole is staring at her with smug brown eyes, and Waverly fumbles to unwrap the cupcake before biting into it, wincing internally as she gets frosting on her nose.

And dammit. The cupcake really is _amazing_.

“It’s. Decent,” Waverly mumbles.

Nicole hands her a napkin. “Just decent?”

“Okay, fine, it’s really good.”

As she watches Waverly wipe her nose off, Nicole says, “Maybe you should learn how to eat a cupcake; you’ll save yourself some trouble.”

“How would _you_ eat them?” Waverly grumbles.

“Sandwich style. Pop the bottom off, set it on top, then you get even frosting and less worry of getting it all over your face.” Nicole leans forward and winks. “Keep that in mind for when you come back, Earp.”

A flash of fight runs through her, and Waverly leans forward to mirror Nicole. “If you want me to try more of your goods, Haught, you’re going to have to deliver them.”

“Shouldn’t be too difficult. You _are_ right next door.”

Chrissy clears her throat loudly. “Wow, Nicole, this peach tart _is_ amazing.”

Nicole looks at her as if she forgot she was there. “I’m glad.” She backs away from the counter when the door opens and another customer walks in. “Well, it was nice talking to you two. Hopefully I’ll see you both around.”

“I’m sure you will,” Waverly says, before she pulls the snickering Chrissy away.

 

* * *

 

“Okay, I _definitely_ missed something. You _dog_. Did you _already_ sleep with the baker? Christ, Waverly, it’s been less than a week.”

“I’m not sleeping with her,” Waverly snaps. “It’s just a bit of harmless flirting.”

“Sure. And the fact that she’s an alpha who looks at you like she wants to eat you up like one of her baked goods has _nothing_ to do with _anything_.”

Waverly snorts. “It doesn’t. I don’t even know…” She shifts back and forth between her feet, rubbing her neck. “It’s not a big deal.”

Chrissy shakes her head and walks to the back room to check on the drying candles. “Keep telling yourself that, Waves.”

 

* * *

 

“Here for your daily donut run, Sheriff?” Nicole hands a small cardboard box across the counter to Randy Nedley. “Coffee donut with caramel glaze, like always.”

“You already know me better than most of my officers do, Haught, and it’s only been a week or so,” Nedley says as he takes the container and hands Nicole cash.

“And I’m very proud of that, sir. Same time tomorrow?”

He nods. “As long as you don’t tell my daughter I’m here.”

Nicole grins. “Secret’s safe with me.”

Once the sheriff leaves, Nicole busies herself with rearranging the pastry case. She’s lining up eclairs when she suddenly recoils, overwhelmed by the scent of pine and lavender as it floods her senses.

She takes a moment, blinking as her eyes water, licking her lips as she tries to clear her brain.

Realization hits her as hard as the scent did, and she turns a scared look to the wall between the bakery and the candle shop.

“Waverly,” she whispers.


	2. Chapter 2

Waverly paces around her shop, pulling at the collar of her t-shirt.

“Are you alright, dear?”

She looks up and gives a strained smile to Louise Beauregard, the elderly bank teller. “Yes. I’m sorry, it’s just very hot in here today. I think I have too many candles lit.”

Louise looks around at the two candles lit on opposite sides of the shop. “…Of course, dear, that must be it.”

“Do you need any help? I’m just going to run in the back to adjust the thermostat.”

Louise pats her arm, sympathy in her eyes. “No, dear, I don’t think I need anything today. I’ll be heading out now. Take care.”

“You as well, ma’am.”

As the old lady leaves the shop, Waverly blows out the candles, cranks the air down, and tugs on her collar again.

“Hey, Waverly!”

Waverly groans and rolls her eyes as she heads back out to the front of the shop. “Champ. What do you want?”

He smirks and leans against the counter for the cash register. “How are you feeling today?”

“Irritated. And it’s way too hot in here.”

Champ traces his teeth with his tongue. “I can help you with both of those things. Why don’t you come with me? I’ll make all the pain go away, sweetheart.”

Waverly frowns at him. “What? Champ, are you hitting on me? Dude, we dated once in high school. You’re old news.”

His lip curls, and he leans closer to her, making her take a step back. “Come on, Waverly, you know you want me.”

Her body is so hot that she doesn’t understand why she isn’t sweating, her stomach twisting and turning, and some sense deep in her chest is, for some reason, _considering the offer_. She tightens her hands into fists, confused, but before she can reply the door to the back hallway slams open, and Nicole storms into the shop.

“Is everything okay in here?” she asks, her voice a low growl that brings that icy shiver to Waverly’s spine again.

“I-It’s fine,” Waverly stammers. “Champ was just leaving.”

“No, I wasn’t.”

Nicole’s eyes narrow, and she walks around to the front of the counter, squaring up with Champ. “She says you are. So if I were you, I’d go, before I _make_ you leave.”

“This is none of your business,” Champ snarls, getting in Nicole’s face.

She pushes back, the inch in height she has on him allowing her to glare downwards at him, as the chocolate and flour scent that Waverly already associates with her fills the room.

“And this isn’t _your_ property,” Nicole whispers, quiet and threatening.

Champ Hardy is not smart, nor is he one to shy from a fight, but his beta instincts and cowardice are no match against an alpha’s challenge. He glances at Waverly, frustrated, before turning and stomping out of the shop.

Nicole follows behind him, locking the door and flipping the sign to ‘CLOSED’. “I would imagine he could only smell you because he was around. Betas aren’t usually that sensitive, but I’m not going to take any chances.” She turns to Waverly, her hands loose at her sides, her stance as nonthreatening as she can make it. “This is your first time, isn’t it? Your scent was so faint when we first met that I couldn’t even tell what you were, but today… today it’s so strong I could feel it through the walls.”

Waverly swallows, suddenly feeling sick. “Is this… I feel wrong. I don’t feel like… Like my sisters described it. Or even like Chrissy described it. I…” She gripped the counter, the flush of heat overwhelming her, mind going fuzzy and senses diving into overdrive. “Itchy,” she mumbles, scratching at her skin.

“Hey, hey, stay with me, it’s okay.” Nicole wraps her arms around Waverly, trapping her hands at her sides and half-leading, half-carrying Waverly towards the hallway. “It’s gonna be okay.”

They get through the door into the bakery, and Nicole brings her to a small shower behind the kitchen. She makes quiet shushing sounds as she turns the water on, cold, then pulls Waverly into the stream of water.

Waverly groans as the cool water hits her, soothing her burning skin. She lifts her head, pressing her face against Nicole’s neck and breathing in her scent.

“Feel better?” Nicole murmurs, going a bit stiff as Waverly smells her, but keeping her voice gentle.

“Yes… How did you know to do that?”

“I’m well-acquainted with dousing myself in cold water to make my body relax. It’s not a permanent solution, but I can’t afford to lose myself to a rut while I’m waiting for a cake to bake.”

“This isn’t a rut,” Waverly groans, her body shuddering through another spasm of heat.

“No. It’s not.”

“It’s a heat. I’m a… I’m an omega.”

“Yes. Is that okay?”

“I’ll admit to being a bit surprised. My sisters are both alphas.”

Nicole chuckles, a low rumble that vibrates into Waverly. “Well, it makes you unique, then.”

Waverly leans back, breathing heavily. “Are you okay? You have to be freezing in here.”

“It doesn’t matter. How are you feeling right now?”

“Confused. My brain’s all fuzzy and scrambly.” Waverly’s fingers fumble at Nicole’s jacket. “And you smell good.”

Nicole laughs softly and taps her finger against Waverly’s lips. “That’s the heat talking, baby.”

Waverly frowns. “Are you sure?”

“Why don’t we wait and see how you feel in a few days and then make that call, huh?” Nicole hugs her close, letting her breathe in her scent, cuddled against her neck. “Come on, Waverly. Let’s get you dried off and then get you home. You need to relax and work your way through it. Trust me, you’ll feel far better.”

“Can you come with me?” Waverly’s voice quivers as she adds, “I-I’m… I’m a bit scared, Nicole.”

Nicole smiles against her hair. “I know. I can smell it on you.”

Waverly punches weakly at her shoulder. “Don’t be mean to me right now.”

“I’m not,” Nicole laughs. “It’s _true_.”

“Oh, God,” Waverly groans. “This is getting embarrassing now.”

Nicole turns the water off and rests her hands on Waverly’s shoulders. “Don’t be embarrassed,” she says gently. “And don’t worry. I’ll come with you.”

 

* * *

 

Nicole needs to drive, and it takes Waverly three shaky tries to unlock the front door of her apartment.

“I feel nervous. And on edge. And hot. And sick. And like I need… like I need…” She blushes. “Well…”

“Yeah, that sucks, doesn’t it?”

“It doesn’t _have_ to,” Waverly ventures, and she laughs when Nicole mirrors her blush.

“Why don’t you lie down before you mind wanders anymore, smartass?”

Waverly sinks onto the couch with a soft sigh. “I need to change. My clothes are soaked.”

“What can I get you?”

“There’s pajamas in my second drawer in my room,” Waverly says, waving her hand towards the hallway.

“Do you have Tylenol?”

“Huh?”

“It’ll help.”

“Mm. Yeah. Top drawer in the bathroom.”

Nicole retrieves a soft sleepshirt and a soft pair of pajama shorts, setting them next to Waverly. “Change into those.”

Once she leaves again, Waverly slips out of her work uniform and tugs her pajamas on. She tosses her clothes into a pile on the other side of the room just in time for Nicole to walk back in with Tylenol and a glass of water.

“Here,” she says. “Take it.”

Waverly downs the glass and the medicine. “Thank you.”

“It’s not a problem, Waverly. I like helping people, and you seem like you really need the help.”

“This is exhausting,” Waverly admits, her voice quiet. She lies down and sighs. “It’s _exhausting_. I don’t even know what to do with myself.”

“Your body is changing in a way you aren’t familiar with. It’s bound to be tiring. That’s to be expected, Waverly. It’s nothing to worry about.” Nicole sits down on the edge of the coffee table and reaches out, brushing her thumb slowly back and forth over Waverly’s forehead. “You’re going to be okay.”

Waverly’s eyes drift close as Nicole’s scent grows stronger, filling the room and settling around her, comforting and quiet.

“Just breathe, Waverly,” Nicole whispers.

The heat burns through Waverly again, and she whimpers. Nicole hushes her and lets her scent settle even deeper around the two of them. Waverly struggles, fitful and uncomfortable, until the soft touch against her skin and the soothing rumble of the alpha next to her lull her to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Waverly wakes to three scents: chocolate, flour, and asparagus.

She sits up, confused, and shuffles towards the kitchen and the faint sound of rock music.

Nicole is in the kitchen, wearing a pair of sweatpants left there ages ago by Waverly’s older sister Wynonna and a black t-shirt that Waverly doesn’t recognize. Her baseball cap is resting on her short red hair, and she’s spinning around in her socks on the hardwood floor, singing along quietly to the music as she clicks on the light for the inside of the oven and glances through the door.

The wood creaks under Waverly’s feet as she steps into the doorway, and Nicole spins around, startled. She reaches over, the rest of her body still frozen in place, and switches the music off.

“Uhm. Hi.”

“Hi there,” Waverly says, unable to keep the affection out of her voice.

“I’m making breakfast.” Nicole points at the oven. “Tomato and asparagus quiche. Vegan. I didn’t forget.”

“You’re adorable.”

Nicole frowns a bit and puffs up, her shoulders squaring like an irritated puppy. The chocolate and flour scent gets _just a bit_ stronger.

“Excuse me,” Waverly teases. “You smell amazing, but please don’t _mark_ my house with it.”

Nicole blushes, and the scent all but vanishes, so faint under the smell of baking that Waverly immediately misses it. “Sorry. I don’t usually… Sorry. That was inappropriate.”

Waverly walks over to her and reaches up to brush her thumb along a shadow underneath one of Nicole’s eyes. “Did you get any sleep last night?”

“No,” Nicole admits. “I wanted to make sure you were okay, and that your scent didn’t draw any less savory individuals to you.” She waves her hand around the room. “That’s why I was letting my scent wander so much while you were asleep. I wasn’t trying to mark you, I promise. I just wanted to make any other alphas think twice.”

“And right now when I called you adorable?”

“Yeah. No excuse for that. I’m sorry.”

Waverly runs her thumb against the shadow again. “Is the quiche done?”

“A minute or two, and then ten minutes of resting time, then we can eat it.”

“Why don’t we eat, and then why don’t you get some rest? You don’t need to guard me, Nicole. I’m sure we’ll be fine here.”

“Are you sure?”

Waverly nods. “You don’t owe me anything, you know.”

Nicole blinks and pulls back, surprise in her eyes. “I know I don’t owe you anything. I can still want to help, can’t I?”

“I don’t think anybody’s ever felt like that towards me before.” Waverly takes in a slow, shaky breath. “God,” she mumbles. “I still want to kiss you.”

Nicole gives her a gentle smile and lifts her chin, leaning down and pressing a chaste kiss to the corner of her mouth. “You still have a few days left before you can make that decision, baby.”

Waverly chuckles softly. “Making my choices for me, Nicole?”

“While you’re blinded by your first cycle? Yes. Trust me, Waverly, you don’t want to make that call right now. Take my experience for the value it has.”

There’s a long moment of silence as Waverly stares up at her, hazel linked with brown, then Waverly nods. “Okay,” she whispers.

Nicole bends down and brushes her nose against the side of Waverly’s neck, making her shiver. “If it makes you feel better,” she murmurs, a low grumble that shakes Waverly straight down to the twisty feeling in her gut, “you smell amazing too.”

Waverly swallows. “Yeah. That _definitely_ makes me feel better.”

 

* * *

 

“So did you just raid my cabinets to find something you could make?”

Nicole shrugs. “Pretty much. I can’t cook, so I had to figure out something I could put together.”

Waverly holds up her fork. “Hold on. You can bake. And you do so well enough to have your own bakery. But you _can’t cook_.”

“Baking is basically all science and math. I know that, and flavor compositions. _Cooking_ is all instincts, and I don’t have them.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s hilarious.”

Nicole sticks her tongue out at her.

“I see you found my sister’s sweatpants.”

“Is that who these belong to? Sorry, I saw them when I was getting your pajamas and I needed to get out of my wet pants. I took my jacket off to dry, too.”

“It’s fine.” Waverly pauses as she chews on her food. “You look hot.”

“Thanks. You feel hot right now, don’t you?”

Waverly tugs absently on the collar of her sleepshirt. “Yep.”

Nicole stands, putting her and Waverly’s empty plates in the sink. “Come here,” she says gently, holding out her hand.

She pulls Waverly to her feet, and in a single fluid movement she picks Waverly up, one arm under Waverly’s shoulders and the other under her knees.

“Do you want more Tylenol?”

Waverly rests her face against Nicole’s neck, breathing in the controlled scent of chocolate and flour. “No.”

“Do you want to take a nap?”

She hates how needy she feels, but she’s so tired and fuzzy that she just nods and murmurs, “Will you take one with me? Please?”

Nicole runs her tongue along her teeth, lavender and pine in her mouth. “Of course.”

 

* * *

 

Nicole lies on the couch with Waverly sprawled on top of her, sound asleep. She gently brushes her fingers up and down Waverly’s spine, letting a quiet rumble deep in her chest bubble up whenever Waverly starts to fuss and squirm.

She tenses her grip on Waverly when she hears a key in the front door. It swings open, and Nicole catches the scent of maple and honey just before Chrissy rushes in.

_“Wav-_ oh.” Chrissy’s eyes widen as she sees them on the couch. _“Oh.”_

Nicole puts a finger to her lips to quiet her before resting her hands over Waverly’s ears. “What’s the matter?” she whispers.

Chrissy raises an eyebrow. “What’s the matter?” she echoes, equally quiet. “I went to the shop and found it closed, flooded with omega scent and _Waverly’s_ scent, her car was still in its spot, and there wasn’t any note or message about where she was.”

“Oh. Sorry. I got her out of there pretty quickly.”

Chrissy smirks. “That so?”

“Not like that,” Nicole hisses. “She needed help.”

“I bet she did.”

Nicole rolls her eyes. “For fuck’s sake.”

Chrissy walks over to the couch and presses a finger hard against the center of Nicole’s collarbone, just barely avoiding touching Waverly. “Promise me she’s okay?”

“I promise,” Nicole says.

“Then I’ll leave you to it, with one warning. If you hurt her, you’ll learn just how well a beta can rip you apart.”

Nicole swallows. “Noted.”

Chrissy heads for the door, glancing back with a smirk still wide on her face. “Have fun?”

Nicole groans and slams her head back against the couch cushion as Chrissy laughs and leaves.

 

* * *

 

“Would you mind telling me?”

Nicole looks down at Waverly, whose head is resting in her lap as Nicole slowly runs ice along her lower back. “Telling you what?”

“What your first was like. It didn’t… It didn’t sound like you… had a good time.”

“I didn’t.” Nicole lets the ice linger until Waverly shudders before she continues. “There’s not too much to tell. The woman I with, a beta, she convinced me to give in to my instincts. To follow my rut instead of my brain. But I didn’t really know what I was doing, and I wasn’t prepared for it yet, and I just. I wish I had taken the time to get used to how my body _felt_ during the cycle before I just jumped right into fucking during it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry.” Nicole presses a cold hand to the back of Waverly’s neck, laughing when she jumps. “You just have to trust me.”

Waverly, grumbling rebelliously, takes the ice and sets it on the coffee table. She flips Nicole onto her back on the couch and straddles her. “How can I trust you if you’re gonna trick me like that?”

Nicole’s breath catches, dropping until it’s low and slow. Waverly raises an eyebrow. “Well,” she says, just a trace of smugness in her voice. “That’s an interesting development. I thought you were supposed to be an alpha?”

“Don’t distract me,” Nicole mumbles. “I haven’t forgotten what I said.”

“Neither did I.” Waverly brushes her thumb over Nicole’s lower lip. “But Nicole, I can still know that I want to kiss you, can’t I? I’ve known that since the day we met. It has nothing to do with the heat in me right now. You wouldn’t break your promise to keep me from making a mistake just by _kissing me_.” She pulls back, resting on her heels as she sits on Nicole’s legs. “Unless you don’t _want_ to kiss m-”

Nicole sits up, cupping Waverly’s face in her hands and pulling her forward. She presses her lips against Waverly’s, hard yet still somehow soft. Her tongue slips inside Waverly’s mouth, and a rumbling growl of a groan echoes deep inside Waverly’s throat.

Her omega instincts are on fire in an instant, and she lies down on her back, pulling Nicole’s t-shirt to get the alpha on top of her. Nicole tumbles forward, hands bracketing Waverly’s waist as they grip into the couch cushions.

“Waverly,” Nicole murmurs, warning.

“I know,” Waverly moans. “Please just… Can you please just…”

“Shh…” Nicole brushes her thumb against Waverly’s hip, where her sleepshirt has ridden up and exposed skin. She kisses Waverly, letting her thread her fingers through her short red hair. “Easy,” she mumbles against Waverly’s lips. “Relax. Take it slow.”

Waverly whines, far too pitiful, and pushes up against Nicole.

Nicole slides her hands down, catching Waverly’s hips, and presses them down against the couch. “No. Relax. Just breathe.”

The problem, Waverly realizes through the haze building in her head, _is_ that she’s breathing. She’s breathing and all she can smell is _Nicole_.

“I know,” Nicole whispers. She kisses a gentle trail down Waverly’s cheek, down the side of her neck, ghosting a few touches to her collarbone before returning to her lips. “I know, baby.”

“God, Nicole,” Waverly chokes out, eyes watering. “Please. I can’t take it.”

“Yes, you can.”

The heat wracks through Waverly’s body, shudders and itchy need turning to fire on her skin. Nicole kisses the spot behind Waverly’s ear and she moans, the touch _burning_.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Waverly groans, trying to buck against Nicole again, only to find herself pinned down.

Nicole meets her gaze, eyes soft and gentle. She brushes her nose against Waverly’s and murmurs, “I’m trying to teach you what I wish someone had taught me during my first time. How to stand it without succumbing to it.” She pushes herself up, getting out of Waverly’s immediate space and pulling her scent tightly in. “Do you want me to stop? All you need to do is ask, Waverly. That’s okay. I need you to know that that’s okay.”

Waverly stares up at her, panting, another wave of heat pulsing. “I-I don’t want you to stop,” she admits, voice quiet. “But… But I need…”

“What do you need?”

“Can you _please_ keep kissing me? _Please_ , Nicole.”

Nicole gives her a small smile. “Yes.”

Waverly chokes out a sigh and links her hands behind Nicole’s neck as she leans back down and kisses her again.

 

* * *

 

They continue the push and pull for hours, until Waverly finally begs for mercy, gasping into the crook of Nicole’s neck.

“Are you okay?” Nicole asks, sitting up and holding her close, soothing her with the rumble in her chest.

“Ask me in five minutes. Or five hours. I’m not sure yet.” Waverly wraps her arms around Nicole’s waist and presses her face against Nicole’s chest. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles.

“What on Earth are you sorry for?”

“I just… feel like you only had to show me that because I’ve been… so impatient.”

“Waverly, I need you to be honest with me.” Nicole lifts Waverly’s face, cupping it between her hands. “Did you only continue with that because you… because your instincts felt like you _deserved it_?”

She shakes her head. “I liked it. And I wanted to try to get some control over it. But I just… I mean, honestly, Nicole, you can’t tell me that you _wanted_ to deal with me squirming around and getting nothing out of it for a few hours.”

“Hey. That’s not how this works. When I agreed to help you through this, that carried to all parts of it.” Her eyes sparkle with humor as she adds, “Besides, you really think I didn’t like all that kissing?”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Waverly rests her head back down, sighing. “Can I admit something?”

“Mhm.”

“I think I’m really just mad at myself right now.”

“At yourself? Why?”

“I _despise_ feeling needy. I like being in charge, and this… this new, deep-rooted _instinct_ to submit and beg and _want_ isn’t something I’m used to.”

“You don’t need to get used to it. You just need to figure out how to _adapt_ to it.” Nicole runs her fingers up and down Waverly’s back. “And, I suppose, find the right alpha who can adapt to you, too.”

Waverly shifts just a tiny bit, squinting up at her. “Do you, uh, happen to know where I could find one?”

Without looking down, Nicole smirks. “Perhaps.”

 

* * *

 

They spend three days in Waverly’s apartment, Nicole leaving only once to properly lock up her shop and to pick up some changes of clothes.

She’s standing in the kitchen, icing a tray of cupcakes, when Waverly walks in wearing a crop top and the shortest pair of shorts she owns.

“Now you’re pushing it, Earp,” Nicole grumbles.

“Couldn’t help it.” Waverly openly looks Nicole up and down, at the dark jeans and short-sleeve blue button-down. “You’re hotter than usual today.”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve said that every day so far.”

Waverly winks and takes a seat, swiping a cupcake before Nicole can stop her. “It’s an accomplishment, then.” She sits and watches the muscles in Nicole’s arm flex as she squeezes the piping bag. “I never realized how fun it would be to watch someone bake.”

“You just like the end result,” Nicole teases.

“Excuse me, that’s just the _bonus_.” Waverly leans on her hand. “Can I ask something?”

Nicole sets one tray on the counter behind her and moves to the second. “Sure.”

“Why haven’t you gone into rut?”

She freezes mid-motion, the frosting falling off the cupcake and onto the metal beneath it. “…What?”

“I just remember my sisters saying that non-mated alphas tend to go into rut whenever they’re around an in-heat non-mated omega they aren’t related to. And I think they said it’s worse when it’s the omega’s first cycle?”

“It is,” Nicole says slowly. “It’s because you smell… well, _rarer_.”

“Right.” Waverly tilts her head to the side, curious. “So why hasn’t it happened to _you_?”

Nicole swallows, her thumb brushing against the band of her jeans. “Well. Who says it hasn’t?”


	4. Chapter 4

“What do you mean?” Waverly lowers her hands, pressing them against the cool granite top of the island. “You can’t possibly… Nicole, you can’t _possibly_ have been in a rut this whole time.”

Nicole goes pink with embarrassment. “Not the _whole_ time. It’s not always immediate. But I… Well, y’know. The longer your heat goes, the stronger your scent gets, and there’s only so much I can do.”

Waverly’s gaze drifts down to the zipper of Nicole’s jeans. “So you’re…”

“Yeah,” Nicole says, voice terse. The pink turns crimson. “I’ve been kind of. Taking some of the pressure off. When I shower.”

Waverly snorts out a laugh. “Is that why it always smells like bleach in there?”

“What do you expect me to do? It’s inappropriate enough to get yourself off in somebody else’s shower, let alone to not make damn sure it’s clean afterwards.”

“Is it wrong to find that both adorable and hot?”

Nicole somehow reddens more. “Waverly.”

“Aw,” Waverly coos, ignoring the heat stirring in her belly as she stands and walks over to Nicole. “You’ve been _so good_.”

There’s a sound that’s somewhere between a choke and a growl in Nicole’s throat, but it cuts off suddenly as Waverly traces her finger along the waist of Nicole’s jeans.

“Waverly, please,” Nicole mumbles.

“Aren’t I supposed to help you? Don’t I owe you? It’s my fault you’re like this right now.”

“You don’t _owe_ me anything. That’s not how _this_ works, either. You’re not responsible for a body’s reaction, and any alpha who tells you otherwise deserves to be shot.”

 Waverly watches the muscle in Nicole’s neck tense. “You promise?”

“I promise.”

“Is there _anything_ I can do to help you?”

“Can you just…” Nicole leans down and rests her nose to the side of Waverly’s neck, breathing in, slow and deep, pine and lavender. “God, I was better off when I wasn’t thinking about it.”

“Sorry,” Waverly says, laughing softly.

“Kiss me,” Nicole whispers. “Please.”

Waverly pushes her against the counter and lifts up onto her toes, pressing against Nicole and kissing her, all tongue and teeth.

Nicole’s hands are on the counter, so tightly gripped they’re trembling, and Waverly covers them with her own as she leans against Nicole and kisses her. She can feel heat radiating from Nicole’s body, from the spot between her legs, and Waverly rests her forehead against Nicole’s shoulder.

“Ice. We need ice.”

“Cold water. Shower.”

“Fuck it.” Waverly grips Nicole’s shirt and pulls her, dragging her down the hallway towards the bathroom.

“What are you doing?”

“Same thing you did for me.” She turns on the water in the shower, full blast, freezing cold, and steps inside, yanking Nicole in with her.

Nicole groans as the water hits her.

“How? How can you possibly be so in control? The most contained alphas I’ve ever met were barely able to even _hide_ a rut for a full day, let alone…”

“I’ve had a lot of practice.” Nicole leans against the tile. “I don’t just have sex to have sex.”

“We’re standing soaking wet suffering through our cycles, Nicole,” Waverly says, a hint of amusement in her voice. “I think you can tell me how long it’s been.”

Nicole laughs and licks her lower lip. “Uh. Two years.”

Waverly’s jaw drops. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I’m not. It was about six months before the divorce went through.”

“Oh…” Waverly leans against the opposite wall of the shower, pushing a strand of wet hair out of her eyes. “I didn’t… realize…”

“I didn’t mate. I got married.”

“That’s possible?”

“Of course it is. Especially if your marriage is the result of a drunken Vegas wedding only a few hours after you’ve first met.”

Waverly smirks. “Ah.”

Nicole crosses her arms. “She was very pretty and very persuasive. Don’t judge me.”

“I won’t as long as you won’t judge me for previously dating the douchebag you saw me talking to that day you saved me in my shop.”

Nicole’s lip curls. “The boy-man?”

Waverly reaches through the water to swat at Nicole’s arm. “We said no judging.” She waits for a response, but the silence stretches awkwardly as Nicole just stares at her, tongue brushing back and forth against her teeth. “Is everything okay?”

“I know this is probably a bit strange given how well we’ve gotten to know each other, at least physically, these past few days. But could we go on a date? Dinner or something?”

“I’d like that.” Confidence mixes with the simmer inside, and Waverly steps forward, skimming her fingers up and under Nicole’s shirt, stroking against her wet skin. “Maybe next time we’re in this situation, we won’t be so frustrated.”

Nicole’s gaze is a bit distant as she nods. “Maybe it will.”

 

* * *

 

“That’s what I’ve been smelling, isn’t it?” Waverly sits on the couch, watching Nicole pack her clothes in the bag she had brought. “Your scent has been so strong, stronger than I remember it being before.”

“Yep. It’s sort of like how I realized you were going into heat. I could suddenly smell you from my shop.”

Waverly squints at her. “Are you going to be able to smell me _every time_ I go into heat?”

Nicole zips up her bag. “Probably.”

“I’ll have to keep that in mind, then.”

“The good news for both of us is that you’re fading. You might have a few flashes of that hotness inside tomorrow, but your scent is already easing back to normal.” Nicole sits down next to her. “Congratulations, Waverly Earp, you survived your first cycle.”

“It mostly sucked. But _you_ didn’t suck. You were good.” Waverly strokes her fingers down Nicole’s cheek. “You were far better than I deserve. You barely know me.”

“I know that nobody deserves to suffer alone, and I know that people, particularly omegas, have a tendency to lose themselves to their instincts in their first cycles. You didn’t deserve to have that happen to you.”

Waverly lies back on the couch, pulling Nicole on top of her. “Thank you.” She goes to kiss her and pauses, glancing down at Nicole’s hips, flush with her own. “Huh. I couldn’t feel that the last few times we did this.”

Nicole grits her teeth, blushing. “I am _very_ good at hiding it. And I was wearing different underwear. And I had poured ice down my pants a few minutes earlier.”

Waverly snorts. “And they say chivalry is dead.”

“Okay, I’m _sorry_ , I was trying my best with what I had to work with!”

“Can I say something inappropriate?”

Nicole rolls her eyes. “Sure. Why not?”

Waverly pulls her closer and nips at her ear, voice dropping to a whisper. “Unless you’re doing something to seem more impressive? You are _far_ bigger than the boy-man.”

Nicole chokes, any hope of a response swallowed by Waverly’s tongue as she kisses her. They lie together on the couch, making out, legs tangled together, occasional wayward presses making each of them whine and groan.

“Tell me,” Nicole gasps as Waverly flips her onto her back and starts kissing up and down her neck. “Is this a bad time to joke about this being the closest I’ve come to sex in two years?”

“Yes, if you ever want to have sex again,” Waverly murmurs against her skin.

“Fair enough.”

Waverly links her hands with Nicole’s and raises Nicole’s arms above her head, trapping them against the arm of the chair.

She watches as Nicole’s entire body goes just a bit slack beneath her, chin turning to the side to allow access to her neck.

“Oh my God.” Waverly tightens her grip on Nicole’s hands and watches a shudder run through her body, a faint spasm as her instincts try to snap her neck back into a more dominant position. “I had my suspicions earlier,” she murmurs, transferring one hand over until both are in one of her grips and using her now free hand to trace one finger down the pulsing vein in the side of Nicole’s throat. “But _seeing_ it is…”

“Don’t mock me,” Nicole growls, sounding more like an alpha than she ever has.

“I’m not,” Waverly soothes. “But the alpha dominance doesn’t come very naturally to you, does it?”

“How naturally does the omega submissiveness come to _you_?”

“Not very,” Waverly admits.

She gets a sudden _need_ , an impulse, and she bends down, running her tongue up the pulse point in Nicole’s throat. Nicole moans and squirms underneath her, and Waverly’s mouth is flooded with the taste of _her_.

“Nicole.” Waverly coaxes Nicole’s chin straight and rests their foreheads together. “Nicole, look at me.”

Nicole’s eyes flutter open, full of a mixture of embarrassment and red hot need.

“Let’s go on that date. Let’s go on that date, and let’s talk about who we are, and let’s build something _real_.” She presses a short, sharp kiss to Nicole’s lips. “And after that? After that we can say fuck convention and figure it out. Figure out what we _both want_ , not what’s _expected_.”

“No one’s ever said that before,” Nicole whispers. “They’ve always told me to get over it.”

“That’s exactly the kind of thing people have always said to me, and that’s even _before_ I found out I was an omega.” Waverly brushes her nose against Nicole’s. “So what do we have to lose?”

Nicole pushes upward and kisses her, rougher than she had been in the past. “Saturday,” she pants, head dropping back onto the couch cushion. “I’ll pick you up at five?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Nicole nods and swallows. “I’d make it sooner, but I need time to, uh, let my rut sort itself out.”

Waverly winces. “Right. Sorry.”

“Oh, Waverly Earp,” Nicole says, meeting her eyes solidly. “You have absolutely nothing to apologize for.”

 

* * *

 

The sound of the bell on the way into the candle shop makes Waverly wince as she steps inside for the first time in days.

A dry clap greets her, and Chrissy walks out of the back room, looking smug. “Well done. _Exceptional_ job.”

Waverly flushes red. “I don’t know what you think-”

“You mean when I walked into your apartment and found you asleep on top of the baker next door? Yeah. You can send me all the texts you want reassuring me that you’re okay, but they don’t work so well after the fact.”

“Nicole said she told you we weren’t doing anything.”

Chrissy snorts. “Yeah, and I’ll believe that when you become a nun.”

_“Chrissy.”_

“What? You can’t tell me you don’t like her.”

Waverly presses her hands against the cashier counter. “I… do. We have a date on Saturday.”

“Oh, a sex date.”

“No,” Waverly groans. “A _date_. We really didn’t have sex.”

“Hold on.” Chrissy leans on the other side of the counter. “You mean to tell me that you spent days holed up, in heat, in sniffing distance of an alpha you’re attracted to, and the two of you managed _not_ to go at it? _How?_ ”

“She was too much of a gentlewoman.”

“Or she’s an idiot.”

Waverly reaches across the counter and hits Chrissy’s arm. “Don’t be mean to her. She’s _nice_. Far better than anyone else I’ve ever dated.”

Chrissy rests a hand over her heart. “I’m hurt, Waverly.”

Waverly rolls her eyes. “We kissed once at an eighth grade sleepover during truth or dare. Don’t bruise your ego over it.”

“I carried your books to class the rest of that week and it meant _nothing_ to you.”

“You carried my books because I broke my arm when _you_ dared me to slide down the stairs on a snow disc.”

Chrissy pouts, but her eyes are filled with glee. “It counts.”

_“Fine,”_ Waverly groans. “Nicole is better than _most_ people I’ve ever dated.”

“Better.”

“And we’re going on a date on Saturday.” Waverly checks the time on her phone. “But right _now_ the most important thing is that I need to go make those candles. I’m way behind schedule.”

As Waverly heads to the back room, Chrissy shouts after her, “At least tell me if you kissed!”

Waverly pauses at the door and smirks back at her friend. “Oh. We kissed a _lot_.”

She slams the door shut before Chrissy can ask any more questions.


	5. Chapter 5

Waverly walks into Nicole’s bakery at the end of the day on Friday, leaning against the counter and watching her as she cleans up. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

“How are you feeling?”

Nicole leans across from her, smiling. “Good. You?”

“Quite good.” Waverly smiles and rests her head on her hand. “Do you know where we’re going tomorrow?”

“Possibly. I have some options. Dress nice.”

“Expensive restaurant nice, or late night club nice?”

Nicole shrugs. “Which would you prefer?”

Waverly drums her fingers against the counter briefly, paying far too much attention to a bit of flour streaked along the edge of Nicole’s jaw. “Club?”

Her gaze drifts down to watch Nicole visibly swallow. “Perfectly doable.”

“Mhm. You are.”

Nicole’s eyebrow rises.

“What? Don’t give me that look.”

“What if I _want_ to look at you?”

Waverly reaches over the counter and runs her thumb over Nicole’s jaw, brushing at the streak of flour. “You can look at me all you want, Nicole Haught,” she whispers. “When you pick me up tonight.” She winks and pats Nicole’s cheek, then turns and walks out of the store.

 

* * *

 

“Holy shit,” Nicole says, voice hoarse, as she stands on Waverly’s doorstep.

Waverly grins, adjusting her purse on her shoulder and glancing down at her glittery crop top, short skirt, and heels. “What’s the matter? You said club, didn’t you?”

“Uh. Yeah.”

“I think you’re drooling, hound dog.” Waverly playfully closes Nicole’s open mouth and steps forward into her space. She skims a finger up the stitch of Nicole’s dark jeans, traces over her belt, up the buttons of her dark gray waistcoat, to the white button-down she’s wearing underneath. “You look… hot.” She idly rolls up the sleeves of the button-down until they’re cuffed around Nicole’s elbows. “ _Really_ hot.”

“Good. Pardon me for a moment.” Nicole puts her hands on Waverly’s waist, thumbs brushing the visible skin just above the waistband, and tugs her forward until their bodies are flush. She leans down and kisses Waverly, so hard that they stumble and slam against Waverly’s front door. “Sorry,” Nicole mumbles against Waverly’s mouth.

“Don’t be.” Waverly smooths down Nicole’s collar. “But you still have to take me on a date.”

Nicole gives her a bashful smile. “Wouldn’t have tried to change your mind.”

“Your mouth was thinking otherwise,” Waverly teases. She pushes Nicole back down to the sidewalk. “Let me lock up and we’ll get going.”

 

* * *

 

Nicole _glows_ inside the night club, and it takes Waverly’s breath away.

The lights are dim, music thumping from a dancefloor next to the bar as they’re escorted to a table far in the back. The only true light in the room comes from flashing multi-colored lights in the dance room and shimmering blacklights situated near the tables.

Waverly hadn’t noticed it on her front porch, but Nicole’s dark gray waistcoat has thin white stitching throughout it, and the lines are catching in the blacklights alongside her white button-down.

“Wow,” she whispers, tracing one of the lines as she slides into the booth next to Nicole. “You look pretty.”

Nicole grins and nods at Waverly’s crop top, sparkling in the lights and the flashes breaking through from the dance floor. “So do you.”

“Did you want… I don’t know if this is a place for food or not.”

“It is. Mostly appetizers.” There’s a faint gleam in Nicole’s eyes as she says, “They have vegan spinach-stuffed roasted mushrooms that are incredible.”

Waverly’s eyes widen. “Wait, they-”

Nicole presses a soft kiss to Waverly’s shoulder. “Come on, Waverly, I’m a food professional. You really think I wouldn’t pay attention to the fact that I needed to make sure to take you some place where you could get something to eat?”

“I think I’m still getting used to someone paying attention to me at all.”

Nicole pulls a piece of paper and a pencil out of the table centerpiece. “Surely your family does?”

“Mm. They tried. My aunt and uncle raised my sisters and me, and they loved us, but my oldest sister Willa was always an ass, and my second-oldest sister Wynonna is a bit of a mess, so it was always hard. And Champ sure as hell didn’t.”

“The boy-man?”

“Yeah.”

Nicole grunts out a growl. “Right.”

Waverly gets a faint burst of Nicole’s scent and chuckles. “Aw, baby, look at you getting territorial.” When she gets a snort and another small burst in response, she carefully runs her hand up Nicole’s back, loops a lock of hair around her finger, and tugs on it. Nicole lets out a sharp gasp, startled, and Waverly leans closer, lips right next to Nicole’s ear. “You have nothing to worry about. But you might if you don’t reel it in, honey.”

Nicole shudders, and for a moment Waverly worries that she’s overstepped, until the scent fades and Nicole brushes her nose against Waverly’s cheek. “Sorry,” she mumbles.

“You’d better be,” Waverly replies, humor in her voice to soften it.

“We order stuff by filling out this card and taking it up to the counter. Do you want the mushrooms?”

“Please.”

“Drink?”

Waverly skims down the list and taps on the wines. “Yellowtail Merlot?”

“Done.” Nicole checks off two orders of the mushrooms and a bottle of the wine, then carries the card over to the bar. When she comes back, she links her fingers with Waverly’s and gently traces the lines on her palm. ‘What made you want to make candles?”

“Any time I was sad as a kid, I’d light a candle, and the scent comforted me. They’re a magic in their own way. I want to bring that comfort – that happiness – to other people.”

Nicole smiles. “That sounds a lot like why I became a baker. My aunt and uncle died when I was little, a bad car crash that I survived. I was sitting in the police station waiting for my parents, and one of the officers had a chocolate croissant his wife had baked for him that morning. He gave it to me to keep me occupied, and it was delicious. And it was so easy, just in that minute, to only think about the food and not think about how bad it all hurt.”

“What made you set up shop in Purgatory?”

“I went to school in the city, and I’ve driven through Purgatory before. It always looked like a nice little town.” Nicole shrugs. “It pulled me in.”

“I can get that. I’ve lived here my whole life and I still know what you mean.”

The bottle of wine is delivered to their table along with two glasses, and they thank the bartender before he heads back. Nicole pours Waverly a glass of wine and slides it to her before pouring a glass for herself.

Waverly takes a sip and giggles.

“What’s wrong?”

“I have things I want to ask, but I feel like I need to know more about you as just _you_ first. What’s your favorite color? Favorite food? Do you watch sports? Any pets?”

“Blue, steak, just hockey, and no, but I want a cat.” Nicole sips her wine. “You wanna ask what you _really_ want to ask?”

Waverly bites her lip and leans in closer to Nicole, lowering her voice. “Alright. I will.” She reaches under the table and traces down the inner seam of Nicole’s jeans. “What does it feel like?”

“Like you’re stroking my pants,” Nicole murmurs in response.

Waverly grins without humor and pinches her leg, making Nicole yelp loud enough that the bartender glances over at them with a raised eyebrow. He looks back at the glasses he’s cleaning without comment, and Waverly keeps her fingers pressed into Nicole’s leg as she says, “You know exactly what I meant, Haught.”

“Yeah, I did,” Nicole sighs, eyes glassy.

The bartender delivers two plates of stuffed mushrooms, smirking, and accepts Waverly’s thanks before heading back to the bar. Waverly pulls the plates to her side of the table and uses her free hand to turn Nicole’s chin towards her.

“What does it feel like?” she asks softly.

“The alpha instincts are like coffee shot straight into your brain. A buzz in your head that keeps you going. They want control. Power. They’re _hungry_ , in a way no food on Earth could ever sate.”

Waverly releases her chin, trusting her to continue looking at her, and picks up a mushroom, holding it up for Nicole to eat. “And?”

Nicole waits until she swallows. “The other part, that submissive part, I think I’ve had that since I really started to think about sex. Before I knew I was an alpha. No matter how much the instincts scream at me for control, I can’t bring myself to truly want it. It feels right to give myself over. I’m not afraid of being in charge if it’s necessary or what my partner wants at a certain point in time, but…”

“But if you were doing something often, you’d want someone to take on the burden of control.”

Nicole nods, and Waverly feeds her another mushroom.

“For the sake of curiosity, have you ever thought about how much control you’d want to give up? Or how you’d really want to apply that in the bedroom?”

“I’ve had my share of fantasies, but I haven’t given it much thought. Nobody has ever made me feel like I would ever be allowed to act on any of it, so I never bothered to think through my feelings.”

Waverly takes another sip of wine. “Would you want to try thinking them through sometime?”

Nicole leans forward, just a little, until her nose is touching Waverly’s. “I would,” she whispers.

“Good.” Waverly presses another mushroom into Nicole’s mouth.

Nicole drags one of the plates back over to her side of the table. “And what about _you_ , Waverly Earp? What’s your favorite color? Favorite food? Do you watch sports? Any pets?”

Waverly laughs and punches Nicole’s shoulder. “White, vegan tacos, not on your life, and no, but I wouldn’t complain about your inevitable cat.”

“Very important information.” Nicole feeds her a mushroom. “Now. What does it feel like for _you_?”

“I’m not all that familiar with my omega instincts yet. They want to give in. They want to be taken.” She flushes, visible even in the dim light. “I didn’t realize it, but when you went into rut and I didn’t realize I was smelling it, that’s right when the instincts suddenly wanted, uh, for you to… well, for me to have your pups right there on the couch.”

“Huh. I don’t think they gestate that quick.”

Waverly punches Nicole’s shoulder again, harder, and takes the plate of food back. “Your privileges are revoked.”

Nicole pouts at her.

She eats another mushroom and says, “The _dominance_ thing is something that’s been a part of me for probably my whole life. I was always the baby of the family, dragged around, never getting to have any say in anything. Youngest of my friends, ‘that nice Earp girl’ to the town, the whole nine yards. I never really had any control over my life, so in the bedroom, I always had the urge to _take_ it.” Waverly rolls her eyes and sighs. “But, unfortunately, I was having sex with _Champ_ , so… that wasn’t going to happen. He’s about as insecure as it comes, and he wasn’t about to let me doing anything that might make people think he wasn’t a strong alpha-slash-beta, because mind you at the time he didn’t even know what he was.”

“Did you dream? When he passed out after getting himself off and barely interesting you?”

Waverly snorts and digs her fingers a little deeper into Nicole’s leg. “You _really_ don’t like him, do you?”

Nicole’s eyes are dark. “Did you see the way he was looking at you? Smell the way he smelled? I don’t trust what he would have done if I hadn’t been there the day your heat hit you, so no, I don’t like him.”

Waverly gives her a stuffed mushroom. “I did dream. I have… some… things that I’ve always wanted. Things that, whenever I think about them, my omega instincts protest quite loudly.”

“Is it too forward,” Nicole whispers, “to offer to let you do them to me?”

Waverly brushes her thumb over Nicole’s lower lip before leaning in and kissing her. “Can we take the wine with us?”

“They just need to wrap it.”

“Will they hold it at the bar for us if you take it up there?”

“I think so?”

“Do it.”

Waverly is pressed so close against Nicole that she feels the shiver run through her. Nicole grabs the bottle of wine and walks up to the bartender, paying for their food and the wine and talking to him briefly before he nods and takes the bottle.

Nicole walks back to the table. “As long as we talk to him before midnight, we can get the bottle from him when we head out.”

“Excellent.” Waverly stands and hooks her fingers in Nicole’s belt, dragging her towards the dance floor.

“Uh, no, no, I don’t dance,” Nicole stammers.

“You don’t _have_ to dance.” Waverly pulls Nicole into the crowd of people jumping along to the beat of the music.

They make their way to an isolated corner, still in the crowd but a bit more private, cut off from the main cluster. Waverly puts Nicole’s hands on her waist, just a bit low, and links her own hands behind Nicole’s neck. She presses up against Nicole as close as she can, swaying, rocking her hips just hard enough that she knows Nicole can feel it.

She waits until she hears the choked rumble in Nicole’s chest, then reaches up to whisper in Nicole’s ear. “Is there anything else you want to know, baby? I have very good credit and was a cheerleader in high school and when I was six I wanted to be an astronaut.” She strokes a finger down the back of Nicole’s neck. “I can also give you a few more details about those _desires_ I have.”

Waverly punctuates the word ‘desires’ with a thrust directly in line with Nicole’s hips, and she feels a sharp, needy shudder spasm through Nicole’s body.

Nicole clears her throat, flustered, and rests her forehead against Waverly’s shoulder. “Waverly,” she moans.

“Yes?”

“Wouldn’t you rather give me a show-and-tell?”


	6. Chapter 6

Nicole sets the bottle of wine on the island of Waverly’s kitchen. Waverly wraps her arms around Nicole from behind, pressing her forehead against Nicole’s back.

“You’re sure you want to do this?” Nicole asks softly, resting her hand on top of Waverly’s on her stomach.

“Yes. Are you?”

“Yes.” Nicole turns, careful to stay in Waverly’s grip. She presses a kiss to the tip of her nose. “I just want to make sure you’re doing this because you want to, not because you feel you owe me something.”

“I do owe you something. But believe me, Nicole, it’s not sex.” Waverly presses her hand against Nicole’s chest and pushes her up against the counter. “If _you_ don’t want to do this, we don’t have to, but… believe me. I _really_ want to.”

Nicole kisses her slowly, letting her tongue slip into Waverly’s mouth. She gives a small, shy smile. “Okay then.”

Waverly laces her fingers through Nicole’s belt and pulls her towards the hallway.

 

* * *

 

“This is exactly what I pictured,” Nicole whispers as Waverly leads her into her bedroom. “The whole house is so neat and ordered. _Pretty._ ” She rests her hand on the green and white floral comforter. “It fits you.”

“It would look better with you naked on top of it.”

Nicole raises an eyebrow. “Well,” she sighs.

“Too much?” Waverly asks, blushing.

“I was going to ask whether you were going to undress me yourself, or make me do it for you.”

“Oh, well if it’s such a _burden_ for you…” Waverly unbuttons Nicole’s waistcoat and pushes it off her shoulders.

“Terrible, terrible burden.”

Waverly tosses the vest onto a nearby chair and begins to unbutton Nicole’s button-down shirt. “My mind is…” She trails off as she opens the shirt and skims her fingers up Nicole’s abdomen.

Nicole brushes her nose against Waverly’s. “Tell me.”

“It’s like everything I never knew I wanted to do is falling into place in my mind. I just… I-I feel… I feel like I can _trust_ you. In a way that still doesn’t really make much sense to me.”

“It’s okay,” Nicole says gently. “I understand.” She pulls her shirt the rest of the way off, tossing it over to join her vest. “But I trust you too, Waverly. If you want to try something, just ask.”

“I-I…” Waverly’s hands go to the bare spot above Nicole’s hips, and she leans forward, pressing a kiss to Nicole’s collarbone. “I just want sex for our first time. I want us to know each other first. Then we’ll talk more about what our brains are suggesting?”

“Waverly Earp, that is fine by me. Just don’t be afraid if you think of something you like, okay?”

Nicole grins down at her, just a little bit lopsided, and Waverly surges upward, knocking Nicole onto the bed with a soft _oomph_. She kisses Nicole with a frantic edge, pausing only to pull her crop top over her head. “I want to see you,” she mumbles against Nicole’s lips. When Nicole nods, Waverly slides her hand behind Nicole’s back and unhooks her bra. As she back off a bit to let Nicole take it off, Waverly reaches behind her and removes her own.

Both fall somewhere off the bed, and Nicole’s eyes widen, her breath quickening. Waverly bites her lip, tracing a finger from Nicole’s collarbone down between her breasts to her belt.

“Hi,” she whispers.

“Hi,” Nicole echoes.

They just stare at each other for a moment, before breaking into giggles. Waverly kisses her, brushing a path down Nicole’s cheek and neck. She pauses at Nicole’s throat, breathing in the scent of chocolate and flour.

“You still smell good.”

Nicole sighs softly. “So do you.”

Waverly unbuckles Nicole’s belt and removes it as she presses kisses against Nicole’s neck. “What do you want?”

“What do you want to do?”

Waverly’s fingers wander, tracing the inside of Nicole’s thigh.

Nicole lets out a shaky breath. “Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” Waverly skims her lips down Nicole’s chest, taking a nipple under her tongue.

Nicole groans and sinks her head back against Waverly’s pillow. “Waverly.”

The response comes in a nip to the side of her breast as Waverly moves from one to the other and begins removing Nicole’s pants.

“Will you do something for me?” Waverly asks, and Nicole shivers as her breath ghosts across her chest.

“Yes.”

“Lift your arms above your head. You can rest them on the bed, but…”

Nicole raises her arms, letting her wrists tap just above the pillow near her head.

“Do you feel it?”

Nicole nods. “Yeah,” she rasps. “Please, Waverly.”

Waverly wraps her fingers around the waists of Nicole’s jeans and underwear at the same time, pulling them down Nicole’s legs at a glacial pace. She tosses both of them to join the other articles of clothing, then kisses her way up the inside of Nicole’s right leg, only stopping when she’s an inch again from Nicole’s center and Nicole’s hip suddenly bucks.

“None of that,” Waverly teases.

“Then do something to stop it,” Nicole challenges.

Waverly glances up at her, meeting the soft interest in Nicole’s eyes, and presses her hands down on Nicole’s hips.

“You know,” she says carefully, “I had been planning on using my fingers. I’m just not sure you’ve earned that yet.”

Nicole grins down at her. “That so?”

“Yep.” Waverly leans down and presses a kiss to Nicole’s clit.

“Oh, shit,” Nicole groans.

“Stop talking,” Waverly says, smirking. “You’ll know when I want to hear you.”

She feels another shudder run through Nicole’s body, but the alpha says nothing, and when Waverly glances up again she sees Nicole has her arm in her mouth as a muzzle.

Waverly runs a lick up the length of Nicole’s center, feeling the trembling warmth building beneath her.

She alternates. A lick on the outside, a deeper movement inside, a pause from all of it to suck on Nicole’s clit.

Nicole’s body is quivering under her hands, trying to buck towards her, desperate for stronger contact.

Waverly stops without warning when she feels the shaking get stronger, the wet heat get warmer.

Nicole can’t help the groan the escapes her throat, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

Waverly makes her way back up Nicole’s body, pressing kisses along her torso. When she gets to her face, she pulls Nicole’s arm out of her mouth and kisses the bite mark Nicole has left in her own skin.

“None of that, baby,” Waverly coos. She rests her nose against the spot on Nicole’s neck where her scent is strongest, then buries two of her fingers deep inside of Nicole as she whispers, “Let me _hear_ it.”

Nicole lets out a loud, choked moan, her hips bucking up against Waverly’s hand. “Please,” she begs. “Waverly, please.”

Waverly presses the heel of her hand against Nicole’s clit and curls her fingers. “Come for me, Nicole.”

She curls her fingers again, then thrusts them into Nicole in rhythm with the motion of Nicole’s hips.

Waverly feels Nicole tighten around her just moments before Nicole takes in a sharp breath and cries out, body trembling into orgasm. Waverly raises her head and kisses Nicole, swallowing the noise as she continues the motion of her hand, riding out the tremors with her.

When Nicole collapses her head back on the pillow, she pants out, “I’m sorry. I usually last longer than that. I just… God. _God_ I wanted you. Still do.”

Waverly kisses her, tracing circles on Nicole’s hip. “Don’t worry about it, Nicole,” she whispers, a grin on her lips. “We aren’t nearly done yet.”


	7. Chapter 7

Waverly kisses Nicole lazily, fingers brushing up and down Nicole’s side. “It felt so good to just…”

“Take control?”

She nods and presses her lips against the underside of Nicole’s jaw. “Even if just a little. I wasn’t planning on it, but in the moment it just felt… right.”

“Agreed.” Nicole leans her head forward, pushing her forehead against Waverly’s. “You said you weren’t finished, and if I recall, you haven’t been taken care of yet. What else do you want?”

“Is there anything we haven’t done that _you_ still want?” Waverly asks, biting her lip.

Nicole laughs and rests her hands on Waverly’s bare hips. “We’ll have plenty of time for that. What do you want to do, Waverly?”

“Promise not to judge?”

“Hey.” Nicole kisses the tip of her nose. “This is a no judgement relationship. That’s the only way this is going to work.”

“God, I can’t even begin to describe how different you are from other people I’ve been with.” Waverly kisses her fiercely, her hand tracing up to skim across Nicole’s chest. Nicole breaks away from the kiss with a soft groan, and Waverly murmurs, “What I want to do? I-I want... I just want to use you. To get off. And see what that feels like.”

Nicole groans again. “Waverly, believe me, there will be absolutely no judging of _that_ request.”

Waverly giggles nervously. “Sorry. I’ve just never felt like I could ask that before.”

“I’ve never felt comfortable enough with a partner to _want_ them to ask for that. Something about you just sticks.” She leans up again, running a few open-mouthed kisses across Waverly’s collarbone, her breath hot against Waverly’s skin. “Maybe you just smell that good,” she jokes. “Pine and lavender. I’ve always liked being outside. One of my assignments in pastry school was to make a play off of a dessert that has some sort of meaning to your life, so I combined that chocolate croissant that got me interested in baking with the s’mores my grandmother made me when I was five and we’d pretend to camp in her backyard. Double chocolate s’more croissants. I got the best possible score in that class, so I guess it worked.” Nicole pauses before covering her face with her hands. “Oh, God. I’m so sorry. This is not sexy conversation.”

“No, don’t hide, don’t hide.” Waverly laughs and pulls her hands away. “I love knowing more about you. And I love knowing how much chocolate food means to you, especially with your own scent.” She traces a finger down Nicole’s chest. “For the record, your scent is _amazing_.”

“It is, huh?”

“Uh-huh.” Waverly kisses down Nicole’s chest and runs her tongue over a nipple. “It’s hard to decide which is better, though. That or your taste.”

Nicole groans, low and rumbling. “Jesus Christ, Waverly.”

“Is that too-”

Nicole interrupts by kissing her roughly, the low rumble still vibrating in her throat and her hands trailing up Waverly’s back.

“Excuse me,” Waverly says as she pulls away, watching Nicole’s eyes carefully for any uncertainty. “That’s not your job.”

“Oh?” Nicole grins up at her, eyes bright and willing. “What is, then?”

Waverly pulls Nicole’s hands away and pins them above her head. She shifts her hips down, straddling Nicole’s leg and pressing herself against Nicole’s thigh. She presses a line of kisses down Nicole’s jaw before nipping at her ear. “Your job is to behave.”

She feels the shudder that runs through Nicole’s body, hear the slow release of breath.

“Whatever you want, Waverly Earp. I’m all yours.”

Waverly meets Nicole’s gaze and brushes their noses together.

Then she kisses her and starts moving.

She pushes herself against Nicole, gasping for breath in between kisses, her grip on Nicole’s wrists tightening as the heat builds at her center.

“Nicole,” she whimpers. “I need more.”

“Then take it,” Nicole pants.

Waverly pulls one of Nicole’s hands down between her legs. “Can I…”

“Yes. God, Waverly, _yes_.”

Waverly positions Nicole’s hand where she wants it, folds down her fingers so only one is extended, and pauses. She takes a moment, just breathing, then kisses Nicole and slides herself down onto Nicole.

They both moan as they adjust to the position, and Waverly presses her face against Nicole’s neck. She keeps her hand on Nicole’s wrist, holding it tightly against her thigh, and slowly moves her hips.

She takes her time, the cold pressure building at the base of her spine. “Another,” she chokes out.

“What?”

Waverly moans and presses closer against Nicole’s neck, her grip on Nicole’s wrist tightening.

Nicole lets out a breathy laugh. “Bossy Waverly can’t come to the phone. Please leave a messa- _mmph!_ ”

Waverly kisses her as she adjusts the hand between her legs to add a second finger. She keeps Nicole from talking, her tongue mapping every centimeter of Nicole’s mouth as she slides onto both fingers and starts moving more quickly.

When she cracks, breaking into shudders and resting her head on Nicole’s shoulder, she’s panting and shaking.

Nicole curls her fingers, smirking, and Waverly lifts her head just enough to squint at her.

“Don’t think I won’t remember that, Haught.”

“I hope you do.”

Waverly lifts herself off of Nicole’s hand and moves it back next to the one above Nicole’s head. “Thank you.”

Nicole raises an eyebrow. “Thank you? For what?”

She presses a kiss to the center of Nicole’s chest. “That’s probably the first time I felt like _me_ during sex.”

“I could say the same thing. I’m… I’m glad I met you, Waverly Earp. Is it too early to say that?”

“No. I don’t think so.” Waverly sits up, settling on top of Nicole’s hips. “Are you staying? Tonight?”

Nicole rests her hands on Waverly’s thighs, tracing random patterns, and Waverly blushes when she feels the wetness still on the right. “Do you want me to stay?”

“Yes. But only if you want to.”

Nicole smiles up at her. “I’d be happy to. I think I should probably shower, though.”

“That can be arranged.” Waverly bites her lip and lets her gaze flicker down Nicole’s body. “I should shower too.”

Nicole visibly swallows. “And I’ll bet that can be arranged.”

 

* * *

 

Nicole slides a tray of macarons into the oven and sets the timer. She heads to the front of the store when the bell rings at the door, and finds Chrissy leaning against the counter. “Hey. Can I help you?”

“Well, I just realized, we never brought you that candle we promised you when you opened.” Chrissy holds out the jar for Nicole. “I made this one special for you. I didn’t know what to make until we opened the shop yesterday morning.”

“Yesterday morning?” Nicole opens the jar and sniffs, the gentle scents of peach, orange, and cranberry hitting her senses. “Why yesterday?”

Chrissy smirks and heads back for the door. “Well, let’s just say that I’ve named that candle Sex On The Beach.”

Nicole almost drops the candle before she sets it down on the counter, flushed red as she looks back up. “Okay, wait a minute…”

“Betas have just as good senses of smell as alphas and omegas,” Chrissy says with a sigh as she opens the door. “Maybe the two of you should remember that before you hook up before coming into work. It was Monday and I hadn’t even had coffee yet, people.”

Nicole covers her face with her hand. “Dear God.”

“If it’s any consolation…” Chrissy holds up another candle. “Waverly’s getting this one when she gets in today.” She laughs and leaves.

Nicole adjusts her hat. She picks up the candle and sniffs it again before sighing. “I think I’m going to need to add the vodka.”


End file.
